Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yowinnipeg’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Yowinnipeg’, characterized by its uniform and outwardly spreading plant habit; strong and freely branching growth habit; dark green-colored foliage; uniform flowering response and habit; can be grown as a disbud or as a spray-type; early flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with quill and spoon-shaped ray florets; purple-colored ray florets; and good postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substance and color for about three to four weeks in an interior environment.

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yowinnipeg.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yowinnipeg’.

The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Fort Myers, Fla. The objective of the program is to create or discover new potted Chrysanthemum cultivars that are suitable for year-round production with uniform plant growth habit, good vigor and strong branching habit, numerous inflorescences, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast and uniform flowering response, and good postproduction longevity.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in December, 1998, in Salinas, Calif., of a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedling selection identified as code number YB-4090, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedling selection identified as code number YB-4105, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor in November, 1999, as a single flowering plant from within the resulting progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled environment in Fort Myers, Fla.

The selection of this plant was based on its uniform plant growth habit, good vigor and strong branching habit, numerous inflorescences, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast and uniform flowering response, and good postproduction longevity.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttings was first conducted in Fort Meyers, Fla. in March, 2000. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yowinnipeg has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or light level, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Yowinnipeg’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Yowinnipeg’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum:

-   -   1. Uniform and outwardly spreading plant habit.     -   2. Strong and freely branching growth habit.     -   3. Dark green-colored foliage.     -   4. Uniform flowering response and habit.     -   5. Can be grown as a disbud or as a spray-type.     -   6. Early flowering, eight week response time.     -   7. Decorative-type inflorescences with quill and spoon-shaped         ray florets.     -   8. Purple-colored ray florets.     -   9. Good postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good         substance and color for about three to four weeks in an interior         environment.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the female parent selection. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the female parent selection primarily in ray floret coloration as plants of the female parent selection have pink-colored ray florets. In addition, plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower are more outwardly spreading in plant habit than plants of the female parent selection.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the male parent selection. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the male parent selection primarily in ray floret coloration as plants of the male parent selection have dark bronze-colored ray florets. In addition, inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are have few to no disc florets whereas inflorescences of plants of the male parent selection have numerous disc florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the cultivar Yolansing, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,209. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Fort Meyers, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Yolansing in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were shorter than plants of         the cultivar Yolansing.     -   2. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum had longer         corolla tubes than ray florets of plants of the cultivar         Yolansing.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had darker purple-colored ray         florets than plants of the cultivar Yolansing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of typical flowering plants of ‘Yowinnipeg’ grown as disbud-types.

The photograph on the second sheet comprises a close-up view of typical inflorescences of ‘Yowinnipeg’ grown as disbud-types.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The aforementioned photographs, following observations and measurements describe plants grown and flowered during the autumn in Salinas, Calif., in a fiberglass-covered greenhouse and under conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial potted Chrysanthemum production. During the production of these plants, the following conditions were measured: day temperatures, 21 to 27° C.; night temperatures, 17 to 19° C.; and light levels, 5,000 to 6,000 foot-candles. Four unrooted cuttings were directly stuck in 15-cm containers, exposed to long day/short night conditions, and pinched once about two weeks later. At the time of the pinch, the photoinductive short day/long night treatments were initiated. Plants used for the description were grown as disbud-types. Measurements and numerical values represent averages of typical flowering plants.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar     Yowinnipeg. -   Commercial classification: Decorative-type potted Chrysanthemum. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary             Chrysanthemum×morifolium seedling selection identified as             code number YB-4090, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary             Chrysanthemum×morifolium seedling selection identified as             code number YB-4105, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten days at 21° C.         -   Root description.—White, close to 155D; fibrous.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; moderately dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous decorative-type potted Chrysanthemum             that can be grown as a spray or as a disbud-type. Upright             with lateral branches outwardly spreading; uniformly mounded             crown. Strong and freely branching growth habit; about four             or five lateral branches develop after removal of terminal             apex (pinching); dense and full plants.         -   Plant height.—About 25 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 37 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 18 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm.             Internode length: About 2.5 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture:             Pubescent. Color: Close to 144A.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate; simple. Length:             About 6.9 cm. Width: About 5.1 cm. Apex: Mucronate. Base:             Attenuate with truncate tendencies. Maring: Palmately lobed,             sinuses between lateral lobes parallel to divergent.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color:             Developing foliage, upper surface: Slightly darker than             147A. Developing foliage, lower surface: Slightly darker             than 147B. Fully expanded foliage, upper surface: Darker             green than 147A. Fully expanded foliage, lower surface:             Close to 147B. Venation, upper surface: Close to 147A to             147B. Venation, lower surface: Close to 147B. Petiole             length: About 2.4 cm. Petiole diameter: About 3.5 mm.             Petiole color, upper surface: Close to 147A to 147B. Petiole             color, lower surface: Close to 147B to 147C. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with quill             and spoon-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on             terminals above foliage, Disk and ray florets develop             acropetally on a capitulum. Inflorescences not fragrant.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower             in the autumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other             times of the year, inflorescence initiation and development             can be induced under short day/long night conditions (at             least 13.5 hours of darkness). Early flowering; plants             exposed to two weeks of long day/short night conditions             followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditions             flower about eight weeks later.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescence maintain good color             and substance for about three to four weeks in an interior             environment.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Grown as a disbud-type, only one             inflorescence develops per lateral branch.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 6 mm. Diameter: About             7.5 mm. Shape: Oblate. Color: Close to 144A.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 8.5 cm.         -   Inflorescence depth (height).—About 3.7 cm.         -   Diameter of disc.—If disc florets develop, about 5 mm.         -   Receptacle diameter.—About 8 mm.         -   Ray florets.—Shape: Quill and spoon-shaped. Orientation:             Initially upright, then eventually perpendicular to the             peduncle. Aspect: Mostly straight. Length: About 4.2 cm.             Width, above tube: About 7 mm. Corolla tube length: About             2.8 to 3.7 cm. Corolla tube diameter: About 5 mm. Apex:             Rounded, acute or emarginate. Base: Fused into a corolla             tube. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous; satiny. Number of ray florets per             inflorescence: About 190 arranged in numerous whorls. Color:             When opening and fully opened, upper surface: Close to 71A.             When opening and fully opened, lower surface: 155D underlain             with close to 77A.         -   Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle.             Shape: Tubular. Apex: Five-pointed. Length: About 8 mm.             Diameter, apex: About 2 mm. Diameter, base: About 1 mm.             Number of disc florets per inflorescence: Less than 10; disc             florets may not develop. Color: Immature: Close to 144A.             Mature, apex: 9A. Mature, mid-section and base: Close to             155D.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 42. Length:             About 1 cm. Width: About 3.5 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex:             Acute. Base: Truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper             surface: Waxy, smooth. Texture, lower surface: Pubescent.             Color, upper surface: Close to 144A. Color, lower surface:             Darker than 144A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets             only. Anther color: Close to 12A. Pollen amount: None             observed. Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets.             Style color: Close to 144B to 144C. Stigma color: Close to             9A.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under     commercial greenhouse conditions. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yowinnipeg’, as illustrated and described. 